The present invention relates to vibratory motion machines, and more particularly to vibratory motion machines having modular components.
The construction industry in the United States includes highway construction and maintenance, building construction and maintenance, mining, dams, machinery rental agencies, etc., that contribute to the national infrastructure. Analogues may be seen around the world. These areas are expanding and must be continually upgraded and maintained.
For example, the U.S. Transportation Equity Act, which became law on Jun. 9, 1998 calls for $217,000,000,000 to be spent over six years to upgrade the national infrastructure. $5,000,000,000 is estimated to be the cost to rebuild the war-ravaged country of Kosovo. Both of these massive efforts will require high quality, efficient, and modular construction equipment to be employed.
Present heavy machine equipment is generally not modular. For example, a different prime mover and set of tools may be placed on a typical tractor but the prime mover and set of tools within the set do not vary a great deal. For example, the prime mover may be of different sizes or some tools of a different shape. However, they typically cannot be said to accommodate a truly wide range of tools. In other words, most devices currently attached to, e.g., tractors, are dedicated tools. Moreover, the tools so provided may or may not be efficiently driven by the prime mover.
Sonic devices have been employed in certain instances. However, these have limitations such as material fatigue due to high frequency molecular vibrations, as well as limited frequencies of operation.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art noted above.
In one aspect, the invention is related to a device for performing a task employing vibration of a tool. The device includes a housing containing at least one off-center weight, and the off-center weight is coupled to a motor and configured to rotate or revolve to vibrate the housing. The housing further includes a device mount to allow the housing to be removably coupled to a mount on a vehicle. A tool is removably coupled to the housing via a socket on the housing to perform a task. The housing may be coupled to a plurality of types of vehicles and is such that a plurality of types of tools may be coupled to the housing.
Implementations of the invention may include one or more of the following. The tool may be selected from the group consisting of: bores, augers, cable layers, trenchers, blades, shakers, rollers, planars, grinders, tillers, rakes, tampers, grid layers, scarifiers, conveyors, winches, scrapers, mixers, shaker screens, corers, destruction tools, drills, cutters, double line cutters, pipe cleaners, and combinations thereof. In another aspect, the invention is directed towards a method of performing a task employing vibration of a tool. The method includes providing a housing containing at least one off-center weight, the off-center weight coupled to a motor and configured to rotate or revolve to vibrate the housing; removably mounting the housing via a device mount to a mount on a vehicle; removably mounting a tool to the housing via a socket on the housing, to perform a task; and rotating or revolving the off-center weight.
The present invention has numerous advantages over prior systems. The present invention employs an adjustable amplitude that can be much greater than that achieved with sonic, e.g., ultrasonic, devices. The force achieved is employable in a variety of applications. The present invention achieves less tool fatigue than that that would be endured in sonic devices. The present invention may be employed at numerous frequencies, unlike sonic devices. In fact, the only limitation on the frequency is the desire of the user, as well as the material limitations of the particular tool. For example, rock may break at numerous frequencies, while asphalt only one. Further, compaction of soil varies with the soil and depth; however, if too much energy is applied, the soil may xe2x80x9cresoundxe2x80x9d and defeat compaction. The present invention allows such factors to be overcome.
The work of the device is accomplished primarily by the oscillation of the vibratory device. For example, in an asphalt-cutting tool, a blade may move forward into asphalt due to an amplitude of motion of the vibratory device. The amplitude and direction may then reverse, traveling xe2x80x9cbackwardxe2x80x9d during which time the tractor or other vehicle moves forward, moves forward, advancing the blade into a new and xe2x80x9cfreshxe2x80x9d cutting position. The process may, in one scenario, be repeated 2000 times per minute. Due to inertia, the process may appear to be continuous.
Advantages of the invention may include one or more of the following. The invention may be modular and may allow use of a number of different tools. The invention generates a large amount of vibratory energy to assist the tool in performing the desired function. The invention may be made sufficiently small to allow use in a wide variety of work environments. The invention may allow a tool to operate with enhanced force, speed, or a combination of the two. The invention may be easily adapted to retrofit on almost any current tractor or crane or taxtavator, etc. The invention may employ a relatively low horsepower motor but still be self-propelling in the sense that the device may be moved by a contained engine and the engine may further be used to drive another device, e.g., via hydraulics. The device may employ relatively easy to repair components such as belts, in lieu of or in addition to more difficult to repair components such as gears. The device may be easy to rotate and easy to swivel horizontally or vertically via a gimbel. The above noted hydraulics may be employed to move the device on the gimbel. The device may employ a ratcheted or stepper motor to allow the device to drive drill tools, planers, trenchers, etc. Other such driven tools are described below in more detail. The amplitude of vibration of the device may be easily changed by changing the drive pulley. Similarly, the belt pulley ratio may be easily so changed. The invention need not employ sonic vibrations, which is preferable as the amplitude of vibration can be made much greater with variable force and is more applicable to more applications. Sonic forces have been associated with fatigue of vibrating materials due to the high frequency. With non-sonic vibrations, tuning is achievable which can be adjusted to the work done. For example, rock breaks at different frequencies than asphalt. A device according to an embodiment of the invention may thus be tuned for different tasks.
Other advantages will be apparent from the description that follows, including the figures and the claims.